Scan barcode
tamara_joy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gun violence
Minor: Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Blood, and Death of parent
amandasbookreview's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Camilla Sten for the opportunity to read this book! It was released on March 29th, 2022.
“We perceive women suffering from mental illness with a sort of paradoxical double-sidedness; both victims and monsters. simultaneously infantilized and feared.”
THE RESTING PLACE
I absolutely enjoyed Camilla Sten’s previous novel, The Invited, and could not wait to pick up The Resting Place. Eleanor has prosopagnosia which is also called facial blindness. So it would be difficult for her to identify her grandmother’s murderer. She and her grandmother, Vivianne had a strained relationship. Viviane wasn’t the most maternal. But after a phone call from the lawyer: Eleanor, her boyfriend Sebastian, her aunt Veronika, and the lawyer all head to the family estate called Solhoga. Once they get there, family secrets become exposed and then the attacks begin…
I absolutely love Camilla Sten’s writing. She really nails the eerie atmospheric tension. Her story building is very slow-burn and I can understand how some people may not appreciate it. But just stay the course, because each reveal throughout the book really packs a punch. There is a lot happening in this book though. Trigger warnings: murder, child abuse, gaslighting, miscarriage, mental illness, suicide.
The book does jump back and forth between the present and 1965. There are 4 names that start with “V” and it did take a while to get used to and put all the pieces together. At every plot twist, the lies come to light and readers will be working to piece everything together. By the end of the novel, I knew who the perpetrator was. I was a little disappointed with the ending but I actually loved everything leading up to it. It was very creepy and I often wondered if we were dealing with something more paranormal rather than a long-lost family secret. –And that is how a good author keeps readers on their toes.
The characters are complex and have their faults. There are a few characters…like Vivianne who are completely toxic and I did not quite understand the hold she had on those around her. BUT, it made sense in the end. Overall, I will always read Camilla Sten’s works, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I absolutely love Camilla Sten’s writing. She really nails the eerie atmospheric tension. Her story building is very slow-burn and I can understand how some people may not appreciate it. But just stay the course, because each reveal throughout the book really packs a punch. There is a lot happening in this book though. Trigger warnings: murder, child abuse, gaslighting, miscarriage, mental illness, suicide.
The book does jump back and forth between the present and 1965. There are 4 names that start with “V” and it did take a while to get used to and put all the pieces together. At every plot twist, the lies come to light and readers will be working to piece everything together. By the end of the novel, I knew who the perpetrator was. I was a little disappointed with the ending but I actually loved everything leading up to it. It was very creepy and I often wondered if we were dealing with something more paranormal rather than a long-lost family secret. –And that is how a good author keeps readers on their toes.
The characters are complex and have their faults. There are a few characters…like Vivianne who are completely toxic and I did not quite understand the hold she had on those around her. BUT, it made sense in the end. Overall, I will always read Camilla Sten’s works, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
thrillofthepage's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Sten’s 2021 release, The Lost Village, was a great read with a creepy atmosphere and dual timelines that were impeccably crafted. The Resting Place also created a spooky atmosphere with the isolated Solhöga mansion in the Swedish woods. The house itself gave me goosebumps because of its dark and mysterious history. It was the perfect backdrop for sinister events to unfold and Sten described it with just enough detail and left the rest to the reader’s imagination.
Our MC, Eleanor, suffers from prosopagnosia, which is better known as face blindness. This condition added an ominous feel to an already disturbing experience for Eleanor because she’s unable to identify who killed her grandmother. This causes severe anxiety for our protagonist, which leads us to doubt what she claims to see at Solhöga.
I loved the dual timelines and multi-POVs in this book. It was interesting to see the past revealed alongside the present period. I honestly didn’t guess the culprit and that made this a winning read!
As I said in my stories last week, this book is similar to Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney. The MCs each had face blindness and were in wintry, remote locations. However, The Resting Place had a more propulsive plot that had me rapidly turning pages.
Thanks to Minotaur for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Our MC, Eleanor, suffers from prosopagnosia, which is better known as face blindness. This condition added an ominous feel to an already disturbing experience for Eleanor because she’s unable to identify who killed her grandmother. This causes severe anxiety for our protagonist, which leads us to doubt what she claims to see at Solhöga.
I loved the dual timelines and multi-POVs in this book. It was interesting to see the past revealed alongside the present period. I honestly didn’t guess the culprit and that made this a winning read!
As I said in my stories last week, this book is similar to Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney. The MCs each had face blindness and were in wintry, remote locations. However, The Resting Place had a more propulsive plot that had me rapidly turning pages.
Thanks to Minotaur for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
bohemianrhapsodyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I JUST finished reading this book AND this book is literally THE BEST book I have ever read in my entire life. It is going to be nearly impossible to top this one, come equal to, or even come close to its excellence and perfection. Well done, @wednesdaysten (Instagram) and thank you for this honorable experience.
My favorite character was the main character Eleanor because she was the most compassionate, honest, and understanding. My least favorite character was Vivianne because I found her to be the villain in the story.
My favorite line in the story: “As though everything that happened here, everything we still don’t know, has seeped into the walls and taken hold like mold, growing and expanding over the many long, quiet years, clawing its bony fingers behind the wallpapers and under the floorboards. It doesn’t want to let go of us. It wants to squeeze the life from our very bodies.”
Reoccurring themes were death, murder, grief, loss of parents, loss of family, and sadness. I think that these themes signified a part of the human condition and what this family had to go through in this story.
The strongest elements of this book were the character and plot development, the twists that were totally unexpected, the descriptions of the setting, the conveying of feelings and personality, and the ending. Plus I love the cover and title, too!!
The only weak element is I wish it were longer :)
My favorite character was the main character Eleanor because she was the most compassionate, honest, and understanding. My least favorite character was Vivianne because I found her to be the villain in the story.
My favorite line in the story: “As though everything that happened here, everything we still don’t know, has seeped into the walls and taken hold like mold, growing and expanding over the many long, quiet years, clawing its bony fingers behind the wallpapers and under the floorboards. It doesn’t want to let go of us. It wants to squeeze the life from our very bodies.”
Reoccurring themes were death, murder, grief, loss of parents, loss of family, and sadness. I think that these themes signified a part of the human condition and what this family had to go through in this story.
The strongest elements of this book were the character and plot development, the twists that were totally unexpected, the descriptions of the setting, the conveying of feelings and personality, and the ending. Plus I love the cover and title, too!!
The only weak element is I wish it were longer :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
nonbinaryreading's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Vomit, Car accident, and Pregnancy
More...